Samsung has beaten Apple to the punch, but I’m annoyed that while it’s, in fact, a fantastic device, it’ll only help bolster the sales of the long-rumored iPhone Fold.
It is a really ironic position for Samsung to find itself in. They have spent years flexing their engineering muscle, burning through iterations, and pushing folding display technology to its absolute limit to lead this space. Although I would argue that some others are doing the “traditional” foldable better now.
Yet despite all the leading, innovating, and market domination, Samsung’s latest flagship wide-body foldable might just end up courting buyers right into Apple’s hands with its iPhone Fold.
The cynic in me sort of feels that, like the Galaxy S25 Edge, getting ahead of Apple was a calculated play to try and court those who are intrigued by the form factor, but maybe not ready to commit to the very compromised 1:1 aspect-ratio’d Z Folds. It’s hard to argue that most folding phones are narrow devices that feel like holding a thick TV remote when closed.
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is refreshing compared to Samsung’s previous folding phones because it’s leaning into the entertainment strengths that are supposedly why folding phones are so popular. As with any tech product, there are always going to be compromises, especially when it’s a 2-in-1 experience. Foldables are mature, but the wide body feels like it’s ready to be fully explored. In my mind, a wide-body folding phone is the optimal design. The final form is the tri-fold, which, coincidentally, Samsung has managed to ship to those with deep enough pockets.
